Tempest Rising
by MidnightWhisper7
Summary: Riku and Destiny Island, before the storm and the darkness. A drabble.


**Tempest Rising**

**By MidnightWhisper7**

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**Note: **This takes place in the beginning of the game, when Riku is sitting on the paopu tree before the first battle with him. This is just a little vignette that I felt inspired to write. It's sort of an attempt to get into Riku's head, as I think he's one of the more interesting characters Square has come up with.

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The light of afternoon sunshine reflected off the ocean, blinding for a moment the eyes that shared its color. Riku brushed away a strand of silver hair, his gaze fixed on the bright sea. On the surface, the ocean was calm, hardly a ripple to be seen. But Riku knew that beneath its tranquil exterior the sea was restless. It mirrored the turmoil beneath his own blue-green eyes.

Endless days of sitting on this tree, looking toward the distant horizon, and wondering...

_There_ are_ other worlds out there, _he thought. _I just know it! _These words had been running through his head for months. He had kept them inside, until the time came when he thought Sora and Kairi might also be itching for an adventure.

Sora... Riku could hear him now, engaged in a play duel with Tidus. A grin parted the solemnity of his face for a moment as Tidus cried out in exasperation. Sora had won. _I've taught him well, _he thought proudly. But the grin fled as quickly as it had come when he remembered what that really meant. _He's almost as strong as me. We're practically equals now. _He wasn't entirely surprised at feeling threatened by Sora's improvement. It had always been a competition between them: to be the fastest runner, the best swimmer, the strongest fighter. It had even become a competition of another sort, over Kairi.

Riku turned in his makeshift seat and looked over at the redhaired girl, who was laughing as Sora acted out an animated retelling of Tidus's defeat. Riku watched the two of them, battling with the jealousy he felt toward his friend. _What do I have to be jealous about?_ he wondered. _Everyone knows that I'm better at just about everything. So what if Kairi likes him? _

He was fond of her, he admitted to himself, but he was more interested in her unknown past and where she came from than her pretty violet-blue eyes, or whatever it was Sora liked about her. She was always kind, and never put down his dreams the way Sora did. Talking to her made him feel like someone actually cared, actually _listened_ to what he had to say. She had a strong will, and was the only person who could really keep him in line. Kairi was like a sister to him, but nothing more. She would always be closer to Sora. Girls on the mainland were captivated by Riku's charming smile and expressive eyes.

And yet he was smiling very seldom now, unless it was in a sarcastic way. He was too busy dreaming, too busy working on the raft and planning to get off that damned island. He didn't notice the stares of the town girls as they giggled to each other behind their hands.

He had once been the practical one, preferring to duel with wooden swords and real opponents rather than play make-believe. When had he changed? Perhaps when he met Kairi. That meteor-strewn night was still fresh in his memory. Kairi's entrance into his life opened a world of opportunities. Or so he hoped. _What could be out there, just waiting for me to find it? _he thought, his gaze once more on the vast blue ocean. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a glimpse of yellow. He looked up to see a big ripe paopu fruit a few feet above him. Without thinking he reached up and plucked the fruit from the tree. It was light as he turned it over in his palm.

_What does my destiny hold?_

Suddenly, there was a clunk as something moved quickly over the wooden planks of the bridge to the little island where he sat. Then Sora's voice.

"Hey Riku, what are you doing over here? Did you see me beat Tidus?"

Riku smiled to himself.

_Okay, Sora, let's see what you've really got._

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**That's it! I hope you enjoyed. Comments are appreciated V**


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